© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018 245
J. Jung et al. (eds.), Researching Higher Education in Asia, Higher Education in
Asia: Quality, Excellence and Governance, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-4989-7_14
Chapter 14
Higher Education as a Field of Study
in Malaysia: Towards an Epistemic
Community of Practice
Norzaini Azman and Morshidi Sirat
Abstract Interest in the field of higher education in Malaysia rose dramatically at
the beginning of the twentieth century as the higher education sector grew rapidly.
At the same time, scholarly interest in higher education increased as the result of the
reforms and transformations that occurred at both systemic and institutional levels.
Based on a review of policies, graduate programme documents and data on HE
research from the Ministry of Higher Education, this chapter provides a general
introduction to some salient features of the evolution and current state of higher
education as a field of study in Malaysia. It reviews the emerging nature of higher
education as a field of study and the political and social forces that have shaped and
contributed to its development. It also highlights certain characteristics, issues and
developing trends which would provide a better understanding of both the present
stage of development and the line of progress expected to emerge in the future. The
chapter concludes that greater emphasis needs to be placed on research infrastruc-
ture, especially mechanisms for funding, storing and sharing research reports and
materials.
Introduction
Research in higher education in Malaysia is relatively new compared to studies on
primary and secondary education. Prior to 1996, most of the education development
and research projects focused on primary or secondary schooling. Higher education
was only a subset of studies on education, with its main emphasis on teaching
methodology, which was often borrowed from school pedagogy. Mature higher
education fields in developed countries have research, academic programmes and
N. Azman (*)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
e-mail: [email protected]
M. Sirat
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia